1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to product dispensers and, more particularly, a single use dispenser package for dispensing products such as toothpaste, shampoo, liquid cosmetics, medicinal liquids and creams, and food items.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Single use and single serving products have been in use for a several years and provide a level of flexibility and convenience for users. While a number of single use products are widely used in the food industry, such as packets of ketchup, mustard and other condiments, relatively few single use products are widely used in other product markets, such as toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, and liquid cosmetics.
An example of a single use product delivery package in the above-identified product markets is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,845,883 to Pieri, which discloses a toothpaste dispenser for monitoring a child's toothpaste usage that includes an elongated strip having a plurality of one time use sachets, each including a quantity of toothpaste suitable for a single use. While the dispenser disclosed in the '883 patent is useful for its intended purpose, it does not provide for clean and easy emission of a product, which makes the dispenser rather unusable.
Another example of a single use product delivery package is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,731 to Lyon et al. The '731 patent provides a single use glue dispensing package including one end having a perforated edge for tearing off, thereby allowing the glue to be removed therefrom. Requiring perforated edges to be torn off can result in an amount of the contained product being inadvertently emitted, however, as the user must grip the opposite side of the glue dispensing package when tearing off the perforated edge. Such a delivery package would be highly ineffectual for containing liquid products.
Therefore, there remains a need for a single use dispenser package that provides easy and sanitary delivery of a product and which is adaptable for dispensing both liquid and viscous products.